Apparatus for manifesting acceleration



April 27,1948 R. MAYNE 2,440,342

' APPARATUS FOR MANIFESTING ACCELERATION Original Filed Sept. 23, 1939 wu- INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 27, 1943 APPARATUS FOR MANIFESTING ACCELERATION Robert Mayne, Akron, Ohio Original application September 23, 1939, Serial No. 296,281. Divided and this application ctober 4, 1943, Serial No. 504,812

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to accelerometers and methods of using the same for combating acceleration nausea, commonly called seasickness.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 296,281, filed September 23, 1939, Apparatus for combating acceleration nausea, upon which Patent No. 2,334,018 issued on Nov. 9, 1943.

In that application are set out comprehensively certain principles relating to the nature, cause, and applicants concepts for treatment, of acceleration nausea, and some of the claims of that application are generic to the apparatus specifically claimed in that application and the apparatus described herein. 7

As more extensively discussed in that application, acceleration nausea occurs, only, or chiefly, when the sensation of acceleration received through the inner ear is not accompanied by adequately perceptible and corrrelated sensations of the acceleration received through senses other than the inner ears special sense of acceleration.

When adequately perceptible and coordinated sensations of acceleration are received in familiar patterns of stimuli, through more than one of the senses, as in the case of running, jumping or other familiar activity, seasickness ordinarily does not result. The situations in which nausea does result from acceleration are apparently those in which the inner ear, functioning at normal efficiency, is not adequately accompanied, in a familiar stimuli pattern, or any other of the senses.

The chief objects of the present invention are to provide effective apparatus for presenting a manifestation of acceleration through variation of the intensity of a light, or variation of the relative intensities of a plurality of lights, or variation of the color of a light.

More specific objects will be manifest in the following description.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of preferred apparatus for carrying out the purpose of the present invention by varying the intensity of a light in accordance with accelerations of the assembly.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a somewhat different assembly for varying the intensity of a light in accordance with acceleration.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of an assembly adapted for varrying the relative intensities of associated light of diiferent colors to produce variations of color effects in accordance with variations of acceleration.

In the assembly illustrated in Fig. 1, the intensity of the light of an electric bulb 39 is varied in accordance with variations of acceleration by varying the current flowing through an alternating current circuit 3| in which the light is mounted, this being accomplished by means of an acceleration-sensitive relay. This relay comprises a core 32 of magnetic material having thereon a winding 3! in series with the light, and, hinged at 33 on a standard 34, an armature 35 of magnetic material. A helical compression spring 36 is so mounted as to support the armature against gravity and against inertia of the armature in upward acceleration of the assembly and at such an elevation as to maintain between the core and the armature an air gap which varies in width in accordance with upward and downward acceleration of the assembly because of variation of the armatures inertia as a factor in increasing or diminishing the total load upon the spring. A Weight 31 may be adjustably secured upon the armature, as by a set-screw 38, for in effect increasing the inertia of the armature and also for adjustment of the width of the air gap at zero acceleration.

In the operation of this assembly, variation in the width of the air gap produces corresponding changes in the reactance of the winding 3P mounted upon the core 32 and in the current flowing through the light.

The assembly shown in Fig. 2 is adapted for use with direct current, the arrangement being substantially the same as that of Fig. 1 except that a carbon pile variable resistance 39 mounted in series with the light is used instead of the reactance device of Fig. 1 and a hinged arm 35 having a weight 37 adjustably secured thereon is adapted to vary its pressure upon the carbon pile in accordance with variations of acceleration, a compression spring 36 being so mounted as to permit the arm to bear only moderately upon the carbon pile at Zero acceleration and lightly upon the pile at maximum downward acceleration.

The assembly of Fig. 3 is adapted to change, in accordance with changes of acceleration, the resultant color produced by three light bulbs 40, 4|, 42, of respective primary colors, preferably mounted in a glass light bowl 43, which may be frosted or not, as desired.

The intensity of the light of the bulb 49 is modified by a device 44, which is here shown as being of the same type as that shown in Fig. 1, mounted to be sensitive to vertical accelerations by a device 46, here shown as being; of the same; type as that of Fig. 1; mounted to be, sensitive,

to accelerations and decelerations in directions lengthwise of the ship.

Modifications arepossible within the scope oi the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for manifesting accelerationififi iflz apparatus comprising a plurality of inertia members, a mounting for the same, yielding-means; for holding each inertia member in determinate relation to the mounting at zero acceleration of the mounting but each permitting movementmo ft its inertia member in relation to the mounting upon acceleration of the mounting in adetQnminate direction individual to the particular ,inertiarrnember, a plurality of sources of lights of diiferent character so associated as .to ,provide a;

single, illumination of a character determined, in part byv each of said sources, and melansoontrolled by-such movement, of the inertiamembers, respectively for 1 varying the; characters of, th lights emanating from the respective sources with every variationsof the acceleration ,of, the mounting inthe respectivedirections, throughout a substantialjrange.

2. Apparatus :for manifesting acceleration. said apparatus comprising an inertia member, .a.

mountinaiherefor, meansupon the mounting for. restricting the inertia member, to ward-fl s e back movement with relation to said mounting",- yielding means for holding the inertia member in determinate relation to its mounting at zero acceleration of the mounting but permitting relative movement of the two in direct response to acceleration of the mounting, a source of continuouslight, and means controlled by the said relat ve .morem nt for amin h intensity of the light with every variation of the acceleration throughout a substantial range.

apparatus for visually combating nausea inahumanbeing subjected to accelerations the combination of a light, means for supplying electriccurrent to the light, an accelerometer, and means operated by the accelerometer and positioned ;in-tl e meanstor supplying electric current to the light for variably controlling the amount of current supplied to the light in direct ratio tothe accelerations applied to the accelerometer.

ROBERT MAYNE.

The mnowmgrererences arepf record inthc fileofwthis patent;

Name, Date Number.

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